Lesson
WHnrYouWlr-LLrnnru
Todescribe
andlocate
theworld's
major
climate
zones
Rsnolrue
SrnnrEcy
Drawa gfobe
liketheonebelow.
Label
thethreeclimate
zones
that
arebased
onlatitude.
Thenidentify
thelinesof latitude
thatseparate
the
climate
zones.
TheWorld'sClimates
t is the weekendand you have plans to go to the beach.you will
f
lprobably be interestedin knowingwhat the weather will be like
that day. You will want to know if it will be wet or dry, cool or
warm. If you were planningto move to another part of the world
to live, you would want to know more about the place than its
weather.You would want to know about its climate. Climaterefers
to the weatherpatternsin a place over a long period of time.
WhyAre ClimatesDifferent?
Why is it always cold at the North pole? why is it warm yearround in cities near the Equator? The climate of a place depends
on the amount of direct sunlight it receives. places near the
Equator receive direct sunlight year-round. In contrast, the North
Pole never receives direct sunlight.
The sun is not the only factor that affects climate. Wind, ocean
currents, and landforms also determine the climate of an area.
TheWorld'sClimateZones
TrnmsToKNoW
weather,
climate
Geographers often divide the earth into climate zones-tropical, dry, middle latitude, high latitude, and highlands. Becauseclimates vary within these broad regions, geographers further
divide the major regions into smaller ones. Figure 3-3 describes
the temperatures and precipitation that are generally found in
each of the major climate zones.
Look at Map 3-3. The map shows where the climate zones of
the world are located. Find the five major crimate zones on the
map. Near what lines of latitude can you find the tropical climate
zone? How does sunlight help to make places in this area hot
year-round? What part of the United States has a drv climate?
World Climate Zones
GIIMATE
201{E
Temperature
Tropical
Hotyear-round
Large
amounts
of precipitation
Dry
Hotsummers
andcoolwinters;
hotdaysandcoldnights
Range
oftemperatures;
warmto hotsummers
andcool
to coldwinters
Little
or noprecipitation
Middle
Latitude
Moderate
amounts
of precipitation
HighLatitude
Freezing
temperatures
common
muchoftheyea;;
cold
summers
andverycoldwinters
Verylittleprecipitation
Highlands
Depends
onelevation;
thehigher
theelevation,
thecooler
thetemperatures
Precipitation
varies
widely
Lnssol 3 The World's Climates
1O7
World Climate Zones
Zones
Climate
I
Tropical
I
Dry
J MiddleLatitudes
*::
Tropicot Cancer
Z HighLatiludes
W Highlands
O RecnlltNcFncrs
Use the reading, Figure 3-3, and Map 3-3 to answer these questions.
1O8
l.
What is the differencebetweenweatherand climate?
2.
What four factors help to determine the climate of a given area?
3.
What kinds of temperatureand precipitationare found in the high
latitude climate zone?
4.
How does elevationaffecttemperaturein highlandsclimatezones?
D.
What climate zone has hot temperaturesyear-round?
6.
In what climate zone is much of eastern Europe located?
7.
What climate zone is located near the Equator?
8.
Name three areas of the world in which highlands climate zones are found.
Lnssol 3 The World's Climates